Grader blade



March 11, 1969 M. v. SINGER, JR 3,431,980

GRADER BLADE Filed April 1. 1966 Sheet .u of 2 March ll, 1969 M. v.- SINGER, JR 3,431,980

GRADER BLADE Filed April 1, 196e sheet z of 2 .4 ...n l "`"T'.`.'.T.`l' 1LT;

e 1 gg rf." I l I L@ 87 i INVENTOR MARSHALL l/.S/NGERJR.

United States Patent O 4 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to specilic means for imparting a reciprocating or vibratory motion to the blade or blades of road graders or other earth working apparatus in order more effectively to cut though hard mounds of earth.

The present invention relates to earth working implements and more particularly relates to a means for imparting a vibratory motion to the blade or blades of said instruments.

In the operation of road graders, plows and the like, it is often necessary for the operator to cause the vehicle to retraverse the terrain previously operated upon or to traverse a stretch of terrain at the side of that previously Operated on, particularly where the material to be moved about is extremely hard and resists the forward movement of the blades associated with the vehicle. In agricultural practices, it is common practice to utilize gang plows of three or more plowshares, depending upon the power of the tractor and the composition and condition of the earth to be plowed.

The fuel consumption in the above mentioned vehicles is directly puroportional to the force required to overcome the resistance of the earth, gravel, or the like against the forward motion of the vehicle blades. Thus the prior art devices have an obvious economic disadvantage, the cost of fuel consumption and operator overtime.

Road grader mechanisms are commonly provided with power actuated mechanisms to adjust the positions of the blade and scariiier so that a grading or scraping operation may be effected upon rearward as well `as forward movement of the vehicle. However, repeated gradings still must be undergone where relatively hard mounds of earth are encountered. f

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a means for imparting a reciprocating action to the earth working implement thereby reducing the work requirements of the -motive force.

Another object of the invention is to accomplish the foregoing object by providing means whereby the power take-olf shaft of a vehicle may be utilized to impart a reciprocating action to the work blade so that the blade imparts a chiseling action when a grader is used to cut through a mound of earth.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for imparting motion to the blade whereby that earth is kept on the move and does not collect on the moldboard.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an earth-working implement adapted for use with mud or other wet materials as well as extremely hard materials.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an earth-working implement adapted to reduce sidedraft on the blade when the operator is cutting or yworking on a slope.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means for adapting the blade of an earth-working implement to operate more effectively in close spaces.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

3,431,980 Patented Mar. 11, 1969 ICC In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the present invention shown in coupled relationship with a tractor and plow;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the present invention taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. l and viewed in direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational View as seen from the right side of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is .a longitudinal section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the coupling frame of FIG. l;

FIG. -6 is a longitudinal section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section similar to FIG. 4 drawn to a reduced scale and showing a modied form of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary somewhat schematic perspective view showing the vibrating element mounted on a grader blade.

One adaptation of the present invention might include the coupling of a tractor and a plow with a vibrating element interposed therebetween which transforms the rotary motion of the tractor power take-off shaft to a reciprocating or vibrating motion which is imparted to the plow. This embodiment of the present invention would include a motion transforming unit having a tongue secured thereto. The distal end of the tongue is adapted to be received by a pivotal tractor hitch, said motion transformer having a horizontally disposed input shafted coupled through a right angle drive to a camshaft, said camshaft acting upon a horizontally disposed pivot plate and imparting a reciprocating motion to the exteriorly disposed end thereof, said reciprocating motion being transferred directly to the plow frame by linking means.

Referring to FIG. l, there is shown a vibrating assembly 10 coupling a tractor 11 to a gang plow 12. Tractor 11 includes a power take-off shaft 15 and a conventional ball hitch 16 extending rearwardly from tractor 11. Plow 12 includes a frame 17 having four spaced plow bottoms 18 mounted thereto, pivotal guide wheel 19 and attaching members 20. The vibrating assembly 10 comprises a transducer 21 iixedly coupled to a tongue 22, and is received by the ball of tractor hitch 16. A guide arm 26 is also xed to transducer 21 and braced to tongue 22 by a bar 27.

A pair of guide plates 28 (FIGS. l, 5 and 6) are pivotally secured at one end to the distal end of guide arm 26 as at 30 (FIG. l). The other ends of plates 28 have elongated apertures 31 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which receive a shoulder bolt 32 mounted through a suitable aperture in mounting bar 29. Bolthead 35, washers 36 and 37, nut 38 and the shoulder 39 of bolt 32 cooperate as shown in FIG. 6 to slidably secure guide plates 28 to mounting bar 29.

In the practice of the present invention, a flexible drive shaft (not shown) is employed to connect the tractor power take-off shaft 15 and input shaft 40 of transducer 21. The transducer transforms the rotary motion of the input shaft to a vibrating, orbital motion of the output plate 41. Plate 41 is secured to mounting bar 29. Mounting bar 29 is secured to plow frame 17 by attaching members 20.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, transducer 21 will now be described in detail.

Housing 42 for transducer 21 is a box like enclosure having side walls 45, a top wall 46 and a bottom wall 47. A structural member 48 has a projecting ange 49 to which is mounted housing 42 as by bolts 50. A gear box cover 51 is also mounted to flange 49 as by bolt 52. Member 48 is apertured at 55 to receive tongue 22 3 and has a hushed aperture 56 for receiving input shaft 40.

A bearing plate 57 is secured between sides 45 of housing 42 dividing the housing into two chambers, 50 and 51, which slidably receive tongue 22 and output plate 41 respectively. A pivot pin 60` passes through coaxial apertures in top wall 46, plate 57, tongue 22, bottom wall 47, and guide arm 26 and is secured by a bolt 61 threadedly received in the bottom of pin 60. Pin 60 also entrains roller bearing 62 which is received in an elongated slot 65 of output plate 41.

A camshaft 66, rotatably supported in bushing l67, has bevel gear 68 fixed to one end thereof, the other end being received in bearing 69 mounted in plate 57. An offset region 70 of the camshaft is disposed in the plane of output plate 41 and is rotatably received in bushed aperture 71 thereof.

Input shaft 40 has fixed to its internally projecting end, bevel gear 73, positioned to mesh with camshaft gear 68. The externally projecting end of input shaft 40 is splined as at 75 to receive one end of a flexible drive shaft (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 4, it may be seen that rotation of the offset portion 70, about the axis 76 of camshaft 66, will produce an orbital motion to ends 41a and 41!) of plate 41 with bearing 62, operating within elongated slot 65, acting as a pivot point. The dotted outlines of plate `41 in FIG. 4 represent the position of the plate at successive 90 rotation points of eccentric 70. It can therefore be appreciated that when plate 41 is connected to the mounting bar as shown in FIG. 1, the motion of the plate will be transferred to the plow frame 17.

A substantially uniform motion over the entire length of mounting bar 29 is made possible by the guiding and limiting effect of guide plate 28, pivoting at 30 to accommodate side to side motion of mounting bar 29 and maintaining a limit of forward and rearward motion, comparable to that of plate 41, by virtue of the length of the slot 31.

With reference to FIG. 7, there is shown a modified form of the output plate and enclosure of a transducer designed to produce reciprocating motion instead of an orbital motion. In this embodiment, output plate 80 is slidably confined between sides 81 and l82 of an enclosure 83. An eccentric portion 86 of a camshaft, in all respects identical with camshaft 66, operates Within a transverse slot 87 in plate 80 as shown. The dotted outline here represents the position of plate S6 after a 180 rotation of the camshaft.

In FIG. 8 there is shown an adaptation of transducers of the present invention to a grader blade 90 wherein transducers 91 and 92 are mounted to frame portion 93. Blade 90 is herein shown as mounted to the output plates 94 and 95 of transducers 91 and 92 respectively.

It can be seen from the above description that the present invention provides a means for adapting a blade or plurality of blades to be used in earth working applications to move either in a reciprocating or an orbital path with respect to the vehicle operating it. This motion irnparts a chisel effect to the earth to be moved and eliminates the necessity of traversing one area a number of times to achieve the desired result.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an earth working apparatus adapted to be attached to a tractor having a power take-off shaft and a ball hitch extending rearwardly therefrom; said apparatus including a frame having a first support beam disposed parallel to the rear of said tractor, a first upright plow dependingly carried by said frame, and a motion transforming means for transforming the rotational motion of said shaft t0 orbital, reciprocating motion and for imparting said orbital reciprocating motion to said frame, said motion transforming means interposed between said tractor and said support beam, said motion transforming means comprising: a housing means, a tongue extending from a first end of said housing means, the distal end of said tongue coupled to said ball hitch; an input shaft spaced parallel with said tongue, the distal end of said input shaft coupled to said power take-off shaft, said input shaft associated with `gear means, said gear means cooperating with cam means for imparting reciprocal motion to an output plate said output plate extending from a second end of said housing means, said output plate coupled to said frame whereby said frame is `carried by said plate.

2. In an earth Iworking apparatus as defined in claim 1, said apparatus additionally comprising: a guide arm fixedly -coupled to `said motion transforming -means parallel to said first support beam, said guide arm braced to said tongue by a bar; first and second guide plates pivotally secured at one end to the distal end of said guide arm, the other end of said first and second guide plates slidably coupled to a mounting bar; means for linking said mounting bar to said first support beam of said frame; said output plate slidably coupled to an end of said motion transforming means adjacent said mounting bar, the distal end of said plate secured to said mounting bar.

3. In an earth working apparatus as defined in claim 1, the motion transforming means additionally comprising: a housing means having spaced side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, `said housing divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a bearing plate; said tongue pivotally received in said lower chamber by said bearing plate; said output plate slidably received in said upper chamber by said bearing plate, a pivot pin disposed through coaxial apertures in said top wall, said output plate, said tongue and said bottom wall; a gear box mounted to the top wall of said housing, said input shaft journalled through a wall of said housing parallel to said tongue; a first bevel gear staked to the distal end of said shaft, the proximal end of said shaft splined to receive a drive shaft; said bevel gear driving a second bevel gear which is staked to the distal end of a camshaft, said camshaft being rotatably supported in a bushing in said gear box, the proximal end of said camshaft received in a bearing of said bearing plate, said camshaft having an offset region disposed in the plane of the output plate and rotatably received in a bushed aperture of said output plate.

4. In an earth Working apparatus as defined in claim 3 said apparatus additionally comprising a second upright plow `spaced from said first plow and dependingly carried by said frame, and a pivot Wheel coupled to an outer portion of said frame adjacent one end of said support beam.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,286,534 11/1966 Truelock et al. 172-40 X 3,357,498 12/1967 Higley 172-40 FOREIGN PATENTS 580,703 8/ 1958 Italy. 334,926 2/1959 Switzerland.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner. STEPHEN C. PELL-EGRINO, Assistant Examiner. 

